Gear-shifter.



GEAR SHIFTER. V A PPLICATION HLED- NOV. 15. I9I6.

-. Patented Apr. 17,1917.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

- WITNESSES v i rum/roe a d Z YW Y 1 4r ATTORNEYS C. B. BAUGHN.

GEAR SHIFTER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. I5. l9l6.

mmfssfs Pateflted Apr. '17, 1917.

3 SHEETS-:SHFET 2.

a3. Baay'kr l TTORIIEYS c. B. BAUGHNL GEAR SHIFTER.

APPLICAIIOH FILED NOV. 15. I916.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3i mmfssss A T T ORNE Y8 TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

means. a. BAUGHN, or onmnns, cmronnn. y

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1,223,136. p fication of Letters Patent. PatentedApr. 1'7, 191 YApplication filed November 15,1910. Serial m. 1:1,407. I Y

To all'whom it may concern: countershafts 14 and 15 projecting there- Beit known that I, Crmnnns B. Bane-ma,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oilfields, in thecounty of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Gear- Shifters, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to means for shift ing the transmission gearsbetween an internal combustion engine .and the point of powerapplication, and is particularly adaptable for use on automobiles, oneof the main objects thereof being to actuate the shifting means throughthe medium of the suction in the intake manifold of said ene. Anotherobject is to provide means for insm-ing the release of the clutch beforethe 2o gears may be shifted, thus overcoming the iability of injury tothe gears, and a further object is .to provide means for insurmg thatonly the desired gear shall be shifted. My invention is fully describedin the following specification, of which the accomanymg drawings form apart, in which like characters refer to like parts in each of the views,and in which 2- Fi re 1 is a plan view of an automobile so provided withmy invention, the body of the automobile being removed;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken through one of two cylinders which Iemploy, w1th a piston in neutral position, and with a,

as valve shown diagrammatically thereon; 7

Fig.3 is a similar section but showing the piston in a shifted position;a

Fig. 4 is a similar section but showing the piston about to be returnedtoward and beyond neutral position;

Fig. 5 is a section takenthrough the two cylinders and the control.valve, the latter being in neutral position;

Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal section as taken through the controlvalve;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary exterior view of the control valve, set inneutral; and I Fig. 8 is a fragmentary interior view of the controlvalve, also set in neutral, turned on a transverse axis from Fig- 7 toshow at the rear the face of Fig. 7.

Referringto the drawings, 9 represents an automobile provided with anengine 10' having an intake manifold 11, a drive-shaft 12, a gear case'13 having gear shifting are hollow and open at their outer ends. and

are joined to the respective countershafts 14 and 15 by means ofbrackets 30 of any desired forin insuring the axial movement of saidcountershafts with the respective v, pistons As clearly shown in Figs.2, 3 and'4, each piston has a chamber 31therein connected with theassage through the piston rod by means 0 a port 32 normally closed bymeans of a ball-valv'e33, and the opposite ends of the chamber 31 areported at34 and 35 serving as-seats for the ball-valve for a reason tobe explained, I Each cylinder 24 and 25 is provided with ..f a centralport 36, and with ports 37 and 38 on opposite sides thereof-well removedfrom the cylinder ends though a suflicie'nt distance from the centralports to be cleared by the piston in its movements in opposite,directions and these ports 36, 37 and 38 are connected with ports 39,40and 41, respectively, on opposite sides of the shel1. 42,of 0 thecontrol valve ,23 which shell fisffixed with respect to the cylinders.

and provided with an. operating'ishaftv44 having a crank-arm 45 atitsfree end, Fig.1, connected by means of a link.46 with a crank-arm .47on arod 4 8shown'as withinf the steering gi column and provided withianoperating lever 49 inj the. position of the driver, as above thesteering wheel 16,--and it will be seen that actuation of the 'lev'er49' will rotate the tubular 'member '43 .corre spondingly, and I providea valve50ffor'the pipe 22 and connect thesame with theclutch pedal 18,as by arod 51,.whereby, when" said clutch pedal is. out,'the valve 5,0isoopen and vghen said clutch pedal isin the valve .50 is c m e i Thetubular val eimaaae, is eaten, 1m

I at o posite sides and in the plane of the con tral shell ports 39,with'three neutral ports '36 leading neutral ports 52, 53 and 54 out ofany posthe ports'39 and from the cylinder 24, thereby bringing the port55 into register with the port 40 on the side toward the cylinder 24sibility of registering with i while the neutral port 53- is broughtinto register with the" ports 39 and 36 of the cylind er 25 thusmaintaining the latter in neutrai. 1 v

- Before a shift can be accomplished it is necessary to open the valve50 by throwing out the clutch as already explained and the suction fromthe tank 21 causes a partial vacuum in the cylinder 24 through the port40 and port37 of the cylinder 24, these last named ports being connectedpermanently and the ball-valve 33 is drawn to its seat in the pistonport 34, atmospheric pressure on the right hand side of the pistonmoving the latter to the left as the air piston rod and port. 32 andport 35 until the port 37 is covered by the piston, thereby causing theshift to low, the valve member 43 being shown diagrammatically in Figs.2, 3 and 4.

If the valve member 43 be now returned to neutral, Fig. 3, a partialvacuum is cause on the right hand side of the piston, the ball-valve 33now being drawn to its seat in the port 35 and the gears are returned toneutral. If, instead, it is reverse the valve member 43 is rotatedanother step to bring theport 57 into register with the port 41 and theair is exhausted on the right hand side of the piston through the port38 in permanent connection with 41, Fig. 4, and the piston moves to theport the port 38, the

/ gears being shifted accordingly, and the neutral port 54 is carriedinto communication with the cylinder 25 thereby maintaining its pistonin neutral position.

With the parts in desired to move into valve member 43 is reversed tobring the port 58 into register with the shell port 41 in permanentconnection with the port 37 of the cylinder 25 and the piston 27 ismoved accordingly and, when the member 43 isro tated another step theport 56 is brought into register with the port 40 in permanentconnection with the port 38 of the cylinder 25 and the piston moves theshell ports 40 and withports 5'? .sult but they show means in operableon manifold for actuating mid members by the desired to shift to.

7 cylinder through low, Fig. 3, if it is intermediate, the

toward the opposite measures end of the last named cylinder tocorrespondingly shift the gears, the neutral ports 52, 53, or 54, alwaysbeing in communication with the cylinder 24 in such gear shift tomaintain the piston 25 in neutral position.

The fore 0mg illustrations are obviously subject to c ange withoutadecting the rethe mode of operation, and I do not seek to limit myselfto the structural details shown and described, nor to the use of the.gear shift for automobiles alone, but I do limit myself to the operationof the device by means of the suction caused by the engine in the intakepiston strokes, although it also desire to reserve to mywlf the meansfor controlling the shifter from the drivers seat in an automobile, andthe preventive means under the control of the clutch pedal,

Havm fully described my invention, what it c aim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is 2- l. The combination with the intakemanimeans actuated by the suction in said mani fold for shifting saidgears 2. The combination with the he mani= fold of an internal comhudiion engine, a drive shaft, and ion wearsg cit plurality ofreciprocating room as in op erable connection vsaid ,gmas, and with saidsuction in said more old 3. The combinamion with fire teens mani fold ofan inte sfion engine, a drive shaft, and ttnnmon of a plurality ofcylinders, pistons therein in operable connection with said gram, andmeans for exhausting air ihrom m dher end of either cylinder. throughthe medium of said manifold to correspondingly move either of saidpistons to shift said gears.

4. The combination with the intake manifold of an internal combustionengine, a drive shaft, and transmission gears; of a plurality ofcylinders, pistons therein in operable connection with said gears, meansfor exhausting air from either end of either the medi of said manifoldto correspondingly move either piston to shift said gears, and valvecontrolled means for admitting air through either pis ton to itscylinderat the end opposite to that from which the air is bein exhausted.

'5. The combination with the intake manifold of an internal combustionengine, a drive shaft, and transmission gears; of a plurality ofcylinders, pistons'therein in operable connection with said gears, meansfor exhausting air from either end of either cylinder through the mediumof said manifold to correspondingly move the respective maintaining eachof said cylinders neutral idn the piston operation of the othercylin- 6.In an automobile provided with an internal combustion engine, an intakemanifold, a drive shaft, transmission gears, and a steering wheel; meansactuated by the suction in said manifold for shifting said gears, andmeans adjacent said steering wheel for controlling said actuating means.

7. In an automobile provided with an internal combustion engine, anintake manifold, a drive shaft, transmission gears, and a clutch pedal;means actuated b the suc- 'l tion. in said manifold for shi ing Saidgears, and means connected with said pedal for rendering said actuatingmeans inoperative when said pedal is in normal position.

8. In. a device of the class described, a cylinder, a piston thereinprovided with a hollow rod open to the outer air and pro vided with achamber opening through opposite sides thereof, a ball-valve normallyclosing said chamber from said piston rod and adapted to close saidchamber from either end of said cylinder, and means for exhausting airfrom either end of said cylinder to actuate said piston. I

CHARLES B. BAUGHN.

